A retrofit pneumatic circuit complements an existing factory braking system to preserve the original function of the driver's foot pedal while also adding the ability for a computer to actuate the brakes separately and independently. In the event where both the primary and secondary drivers are actuating the brakes at any time, the braking force applied is the maximum of the two. In the preferred approach, a shuttle valve is connected between a primary proportional valve and a copy of that proportional valve. Directional control valves are also included to isolate both the input and the output portions of the secondary circuit in order to enforce positive shutdown of computer control. One directional valve blocks a supply pressure to prevent bleeding of the system in any situation where pressure is requested when computer control is supposed to be disabled. A second directional valve vents any built-up pressure to the atmosphere, so that any residual pressure does not actuate the brakes after computer control is disabled.

An apparatus for controlling pressure of a braking system including a pressure sensor configured to detect a pressure value within the braking system mounted in a vehicle, and collect the detected pressure value as an analog pressure signal; and a control device configured to calibrate the analog pressure signal received from the pressure sensor, convert the calibrated analog pressure signal into a digital pressure signal, and output the digital pressure signal.

An apparatus for an aircraft having one or more aircraft wheel brakes, and a brake wear sensor configured to measure a wear state of a brake of the one or more aircraft wheel brakes, is disclosed. The apparatus includes a processor configured to determine a wear relationship between a wear state of the brake and a number of use cycles of the brake, determine a predicted wear state of the brake based on the wear relationship; determine a number of future use cycles of the brake based on a predicted condition of the brake, the predicted condition comprising the predicted wear state of the brake; and provide an indication of the determined number of the future use cycles to ground crew and/or a pilot of the aircraft, wherein the number of future use cycles is the number of use cycles for which the brake is allowed to be used, and a use cycle comprises all uses of the brake relating to a flight undertaken by the aircraft.

A method for aircraft brake wear optimization includes processes by which the actual instantaneous temperature of brakes can be determined during taxi braking operations. The invention is particularly applicable to carbon disc brakes in aircraft. In the system, the energy absorbed by the carbon disc brakes during taxiing operation is calculated and a conversion made from energy absorbed to disc temperature is made. The system uses less than a full complement of brakes during taxiing such that the brakes actually employed during taxiing are at elevated temperatures, which are characterized by improved brake wear. The system provides substantially instantaneous thermal information, in contrast to the prior art relying upon thermal measurements rather than energy calculations.

To achieve a brake hydraulic pressure control system which makes it possible to suppress an increase of the manufacturing cost as compared to existing brake hydraulic pressure control systems which ground a control board using a coil spring. A brake hydraulic pressure control system according to the present invention includes: a metallic substrate (80) in which a flow channel for brake fluid is formed; and a control board (76) of a hydraulic pressure control mechanism for the brake fluid provided in the flow channel. The brake hydraulic pressure control system according to the present invention further includes at least one conductive plate spring (90) which is provided between the control board (76) and a component that is electrically connected to the substrate (80). The free length of the plate spring (90) is longer than the distance between the control board (76) and the component, and the plate spring (90) has a first end part (93) connected to the control board (76) and a second end part (94) connected to the component.

Systems and methods for shut off valve failure detection are provided. The system may comprise a housing, a shut off valve disposed within the housing, a first servovalve and a second servovalve coupled to the housing, and a pressure sensor disposed within the housing in fluid communication with the shut off valve. A controller may receive a pressure signal from the pressure sensor in the system, and a brake signal from a brake input device. The controller may determine whether there has been a shut off valve failure in the system in response to the pressure signal being greater than a pressure threshold and the controller failing to receive the brake signal, for a threshold period. The controller may then send a signal to a notification system in response to detection of the shut off valve failure and output a shut off valve failure notification.

A method and a device for operating a tractor including a trailer. The method includes detecting the surroundings behind the tractor through the clearance underneath the trailer using a surroundings sensor system, which, for this purpose, is mounted close to the roadway surface from the tractor, in particular underneath a connection between the tractor and the trailer, the surroundings sensor system including at least one video sensor. The method further includes determining objects in these surroundings, which are not encompassed by the trailer, by recognizing individual, in particular moving, integral parts of the trailer as such and excluding these in a targeted manner, determining a driving strategy for the tractor depending on the objects in the surroundings, and operating the tractor depending on the driving strategy.

A method for operating a brake system for motor vehicles, comprising a master brake cylinder actuable by a brake pedal, an electrically controllable pressure provision device, a pressure medium reservoir tank, from which the master brake cylinder and the pressure provision device are supplied with pressure medium, and at least two hydraulically actuable wheel brakes and at least one electrically actuable inlet valve per wheel brake, wherein the wheel brakes are actuable either by the master brake cylinder or by the pressure provision device, the pressure medium reservoir tank is monitored by a device for determining a level of the pressure medium, wherein the wheel brakes are divided into at least one first wheel brake group and one second wheel brake group, and wherein the inlet valves of the first wheel brake group are closed when the determined level falls below a first limit value (s.sub.1).

A method for operating a brake system for motor vehicles, comprising a master brake cylinder actuable by a brake pedal, an electrically controllable pressure provision device, a pressure medium reservoir tank, from which the master brake cylinder and the pressure provision device are supplied with pressure medium, and at least two hydraulically actuable wheel brakes and at least one electrically actuable inlet valve per wheel brake, wherein the wheel brakes are actuable either by the master brake cylinder or by the pressure provision device, the pressure medium reservoir tank is monitored by a device for determining a level of the pressure medium, wherein the wheel brakes are divided into at least one first wheel brake group and one second wheel brake group, and wherein the inlet valves of the first wheel brake group are closed when the determined level falls below a first limit value (s.sub.1).

An electropneumatic trailer control module (1) includes a trailer control connection (6) configured to deliver a trailer control pressure (pTC), an electropneumatic trailer control valve arrangement (20) configured to receive a supply pressure (pS) and to provide the trailer control pressure (pTC) and an electronic trailer control connection (24) for providing trailer braking control signals (STB) such that the trailer control pressure (pTC) can be modulated. The electropneumatic trailer control module (1) is characterized by a protection connection (10) for receiving a pneumatic protection pressure (pPR), and a tractor protection unit (22) configured to switch between a supply state (60) and a protection state (56). The invention further relates to an electropneumatic braking system (100), a vehicle (200) and a method (300) for controlling a trailer supply function of an electropneumatic braking system (100).